The evolution of aircraft architecture has led to the inclusion of an increasing number of kits for the management of flight controls, communications and other missions inside the aircraft. At the same time, the improvement in estimating and calculating the loads that the aircraft will support during its lifespan as well as the improvement in calculating the structures and the characterization and quality of the materials have caused the reduction of its weight which allows increasing the useful load of the aircraft or the fuel that it can support, but as a counterpart this weight reduction of the structure involves a lower tolerance to the damage thereof.
Since there is a given probability of impacts of foreign objects occurring on aircrafts, particularly birds at high speed, that can endanger the integrity of the aircraft and, accordingly, of the payload, the persons and goods that are inside. For this reason, the aeronautical regulations demand that the vital elements of the aircraft are protected so there is no possibility of impact or, failing that, being able to directly support the impact.
Thus, to avoid damages to the aircraft sensitive parts, the element to be protected can be reinforced in order to be able to support the effect of the impact of a foreign object and to continue performing its mission until it can be repaired or substituted, or there is also the possibility of interposing in the path of the element to be protected some element capable of preventing the direct impact of the foreign object against it. In both cases, the conclusion of the analysis assumes the reinforcement of the element to be protected, adding elements outside of the element, or the reinforcement of some element that is in the path of the object that will impact. This reinforcement involves in all cases an increase in the total weight of the aircraft to the detriment thereof, reducing its features and/or profitability.
It should be noted that besides birds, there are other elements that can impact on the aircraft vital elements. Among these elements are, i.a. the cases wherein an explosion of the tire of the wheels “Rim Release” occurs, or even detachments of objects “Blade Release” whether from the motor, propeller turbine or from the electricity/hydraulic generator emergency system.
In all previous cases, the common denominator is that there is an element with a mass, following a known path and at high speed, whereby the fulfillment of the protection requirement of the sensitive elements is feasible to be fulfilled.